How to Bring Your Passions & Ideas to Life with Catherine McCord, Co-Founder of One Potato

Catherine McCord is the co-founder/CEO of One Potato, an organic
family-friendly meal delivery service, and founder of Weelicious,
a website dedicated to helping parents expose their children to
wholesome, delicious homemade food.


Throughout the 90s, Catherine was considered one of the world’s
top supermodels, posing for the cover of Vogue, walking the
runway for Donna Karen and Calvin Klein, and appearing in movies
that included Matt Damon, The Rock, and Jennifer Anniston. But
then, 9/11 happened. Catherine was living in New York City and
her perspective on life changed instantly. Although her career
was soaring, she realized life was too short and wanted to follow
her passion for food.


After graduating from culinary school, Catherine had her first
son, who experienced health issues from a sensitive stomach.
Although she could cook a four-star meal, she had no idea how to
cook for her child and realized that this was a common occurrence
for mothers. She began playing around with different recipes and
decided to start her blog, Weelicious, to document her journey,
build community as a new mother, and share her recipe
ideas. 


Fast forward to today, Weelicious has grown into a widely popular
health and lifestyle brand, three cookbooks, and her most recent
venture, One Potato, the first organic home meal delivery kit,
which has grown over 200% in the past year.


We’ll chat with Catherine about how she pivoted her career, from
model to serial entrepreneur, the importance of building a
community when launching your brand, and how she manages to build
her empire while also being a mother to three young kids. 


In this episode, we’ll talk to Catherine about: 


* Hear about Catherine’s upbringing and how it influenced her
perspective on food. [2:42]


* What it was like being both an international model and an
ordinary high school student. [4:30]


* How her understanding of money has evolved; how she learned the
gift of saving. [7:37]


* How the tragedy of 9/11 helped Catherine realize her passion
for food. [9:35]


* Catherine’s experience of being a woman in the male-dominated
restaurant industry. [11:51]


* Her next steps towards starting a blog (and a family). [12:53]


* Advice for entrepreneurs that are just starting out: don’t be
afraid to ask for advice! [14:52]


* When Catherine realized that she had a marketable idea and
built a business. [16:15]


* She outlines the process of writing her first cookbook,
starting with leaning into the expertise of other authors.
[17:24]


* Learn how Catherine lets her children lead through her
companies. [20:12]


* Find out where it was in her journey with Weelicious that One
Potato came to life. [21:31]


* The value of finding the right partner, aligning your values,
and creating a community around the launch of your brand. [24:16]


* Using word of mouth to market One Potato when they didn’t have
any funding. [25:28]


* Advice for entrepreneurs looking to build a community: be
authentic, start with just two social media platforms, and share
your passion. [27:19]


* Approach fundraising as a definite strategy and a learned skill
that takes practice. [34:15]


* Catherine cautions against taking it personally when investors
don’t “get” your product. [40:38]


* Her advice for dealing with rejection, starting with knowing
your audience. [0:41:39]


* The biggest mistake Catherine sees entrepreneurs making:
thinking they will be wildly successful in two years or less.
[48:17]


Follow Catherine: 


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weelicious/ 


* Weelicious Website: https://www.weelicious.com/ 


* One Potato Website: https://onepotato.com/ 


Follow Yasmin:


* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/


* Stay updated & subscribe to our newsletter:
https://www.behindherempire.com/


Behind Her Empire Featured Entrepreneur: 


* Niloofar Mirani, founder of Niloofar, a snack company with a
mission to introduce Persian cuisine and culture.


* Learn more about Niloofar: https://www.niloofarmix.com/


* Follow Niloofar on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/niloofarmix/


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